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Mets acquire outfielder Cowgill from A's

Mets acquire outfielder Cowgill from A's

6/5/12: Collin Cowgill drills a two-run home run to left-center field, cutting the Athletics' deficit to three runs in the fifth

By Adam Berry
/
MLB.com |

The Mets helped fill their need for right-handed-hitting outfielders Tuesday, picking up Collin Cowgill in a trade with the A's.

Prospect acquired by A's

Jefry Marte, 3B: Marte, No. 16 on the Mets' Top 20 at the time of the trade, was once thought of as one of the top prospects in the Mets system. He stalled in Class A for a while, though he did go to the 2011 Futures Game. After a solid campaign in the 2011 Arizona Fall League, he showed some signs of life in Double-A in 2012, with a better approach at the plate and glimpses of the tools that excited people in the first place. He was tremendous against lefties, hitting .336/.390/.560, though it's still not clear if he'll hit for the kind of power teams like to see from an everyday third baseman. Signed in July 2007, Marte is still only 21, so there is a chance he could still reach some of his potential. Defensive flexibility -- he did play a handful of games at first in 2012 -- could help him land a job as a role player eventually.

In exchange for Cowgill, the Mets sent Minor League infielder Jefry Marte to Oakland.

Cowgill, 26, posted a .269/.336/.317 batting line with a home run and nine RBIs in 38 games for Oakland last season. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Sacramento, where he batted .254 with four homers, 37 RBIs and 33 runs scored in 61 games. Cowgill has a .255 average in 74 career Major League games.

The outfielder was selected by the D-backs in the fifth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Kentucky, and he made his Major League debut with Arizona in 2011, compiling a .239/.300/.304 batting line in 36 games. He drove in two runs in the National League Division Series against Milwaukee that year and was traded to Oakland in December 2011 as part of a five-player deal.